Abraham's Daughter
by QuestionableCertainty
Summary: In a world where nothing is real and everyone is expendable, the Ghost of the STEM has been trying to save as many lives as possible while attempting to get Leslie out covertly. So when Joseph is shot by Kidman, and "Natji" finally makes her appearance, it sets things into motion which may or may not put more lives at risk than she's willing to sacrifice. Eventual Joseph/Oc
1. Introduction

**_A/N: Okay so I'm well aware I have a bunch of stories that are in progress - and I promise anyone who is reading this from my other stories that I *will* get to them by and by I've just been swamped and hit a wall. As for this, I've recently fallen head over heels for The Evil Within - more specifically with Joseph Oda and Leslie Whithers, who deserve soooo much better than what they got. That being said, I'm writing this thing which I've got a lot of steam on, and a bigger plan than just a little story, and even though I know this fandom isn't that big, I still hope that it will be enjoyed. Now if it's confusing at first, I apologize, but I actually intend it to be alittle mysterious, and promise that all will be made clearer in due course._**

 ** _Without further ado then, I'll say 'enjoy' and I hope you all like it._**

* * *

 _"Abraham took Isaacs hand and led him to that lonesome hill  
While his daughter hid and watched she dared not breathe she was so still  
Just as an angel cried for the slaughter  
Abraham's daughter raised her voice..."_

* * *

For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. Forces not aligned with each other battling, be it obviously or subtly. No one on this earth can be Omnipotent, not even in a sphere where they play God. There will always be a contender, someone who creates the other side - it's not a question of numbers, it's a question of who is stronger.

A hoarde of creatures on one side -

Three men on the other.

This is how we play, Ruvik. Your army versus mine. Your horrors are innumerable, your world is a nightmare; but I have my own world in this sphere, my own way to win. Already I've stolen from you some helpless pawns, mere pieces who couldn't help either of our sides as they were nothing more than innocent bystanders. I got them out of this hell before it became so, I lowered the casualties before you had a chance to make them yours.

But there are three still in the game, three we still are fighting for. Though I suppose this is really only about one.

Shall I explain? I wonder if you would only hinder the influence I have over your universe - and I do have an influence. Mobius calls me a Ghost in the system,they don't know where I came from or my purpose. They wouldn't, I'm not on their side. I suppose we could call them a separate enemy, you're openly fighting while I sabotage.

I suppose in a way that makes us allies.

That was what I wanted, Ruben.

I wanted us to be allies.

... but you just had to create this instead.

Do you even know I'm here, I wonder. Planting things for my little army, giving them supplies,offering them safe haven when it's begun to be too much. I've been giving them everything they need to get out of here alive, and they've used my guidance brilliantly. You know you can't stop them,no matter how much you call them yours...they're not.

Castellanos - you gotta admire him, the man is made of steel. You play with his head and still he remains sane and unharmed. I heard your little conversation in the elevator where you told him your intentions, did you really think you'd scare him into submission? 'You are mine' what a cliché. You're not even a good villain in your fairytale, you just want to get out like the rest of them. But he didn't stop did he, he didn't bend, he kept getting closer and closer to his goal. He still is isn't he? You throw everything you can, you mess with geography, you throw him into new horrors, you chase him, you try to turn him into your army.

But he didn't turn. And he won't again I can guarantee it.

Now Joseph... he's more interesting. He's not made of unbreakable iron, but he's just as strong-bendable, granted, but he's flexible enough not too snap. You kept trying to make him one of yours, but he kept fighting. He didn't even have all the benefits of his partner, he had exactly two weapons: a gun and his mind. Oh he's a gem - what's more he's figured out your little game. You got him shot by a sniper, how convenient. You can't even take him head on can you? 'Joseph couldn't handle what he'd done' honestly, he's doing just fine with actually very little interference from me. Thanks to a helpful little brainwave to Sebastian, he's able to fight you in his mind completely. Well I've got my own 'convenient' moments... did you think that ambulance was there by accident?

You know I'm a little disappointed you didn't choose him as your opponent, I have a feeling that contest would have been exhilarating to watch.

Yet the most important piece on this board, is in fact the most sought after by all of us. Mobius wants him, you want him, I want him. But our desires are vastly different. Poor Leslie. He deserves so much better than to be a scrap of meat caught between two dogs, his madness only furthered by this world of yours. He was such a sweet boy before his parents died, and even though he lost his mind he was a sweet boy afterwards... if I can only get him out... I could take him home and give him the life he deserves. Maybe, just maybe, he'll finally have happiness. I healed from my trauma, I'm sane, maybe he can be so too?

Maybe he could be what you never became.

I go by the name of "Natji" here. Not unlike you. A warping of my true identity - or is it? Who knows in this world where reality lies. And maybe reality is more real here than in the 'real' world.

* * *

 ** _Well? I promise it won't all be written like this, it's gonna be in 3rd with the secrets being revealed like the game through documents and memories. Either way, what'd you all think?_**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Because I still have stuff to upload, I'm just posting this now and will post a mid- thing as well. Again, let me know what you guys think, as the reviews is what will keep me going come actual regular uploads. The chapters will be between 3,000 and 4,000 words just...depending on what's going on ;)**

* * *

It was a race, a race between opposing forces that Juli Kidman knew would come after her for what she was about to do. She knew now how dangerous the entire situation was, how MOBIUS had plans which left everyone stuck inside this hell out of their thoughts. They were expendable... she was expendable.

All she knew was that the young man in front of her was the only way to break the cycle, the only way to get them out of there. He had to die here before Ruvik could have control, and he had to die before MOBIUS could get him, otherwise they'd all be trapped here while MOBIUS got what they wanted.

What was it they wanted fully? She still didn't know, but as she pulled the gun from her holster and aimed it at Leslie's back, she asked God to forgive her... if there was a God that wasn't what her parents had told her about.

The familiar voice of her boss came from behind her. "What are you doing, Kid?"

"You don't understand. You don't know what he'll become." She was determined and tired. Tired of running from MOBIUS, tired of this whole thing which she knew she held the key to ending - her Boss turned into Sebastian, and she looked back in surprise, though it was quickly squashed. She really shouldn't have been surprised... there was nothing new to the mind games.

...everything happened fast: a high pitched screech pierced the air, Leslie screamed at whatever demons haunted him and took off, Juli pulled the trigger and Joseph -who had jumped up to stop her from shooting Leslie- fell to the ground with another bullet in him, Juli completely ignoring him as she followed Leslie.

Ruvik stood on a nearby building as the landscape gave way to his will, dropping Sebastian into the subway below, separating the three partners yet again. Juli was too busy following Leslie to worry about the two men after all.

And Ruvik was,focused on where Leslie was headed... it wasn't long now, the boy was nearly his.

The park cleared of all but Joseph, who laid on the ground in pain, the second gunshot wound much more severe than the first. He didn't know where the bullet had hit, and he knew too well the various complications and heightened risk of death. His breathing was erratic, which he knew meant only bad things - but could he die here? He didn't know.

Something was happening... he couldn't figure out what... his mind was beginning to get a haze.

"Oda!" The voice was far away. Shock, he assumed, was taking hold of his body, which wouldn't be good. A face appeared in front of him, brown eyes he'd never seen before looking at him in worry - "Can you hear me? Joseph!"

He nodded, his voice seemingly not working. Pain shot through him as he felt a hand press down on his chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding and he cried out. "We need to get you out of here." She said, looking around. It would be hard to move him without the possibility of doing more damage, but the city was still being torn apart by Ruvik's mind, and she needed to get him somewhere to get some first aid in him.

Thank God this world wasn't the real one.

"Joseph, I need to get you over to that willow , do you see it?" Lifting him gingerly, she pointed to the tree which stood almost awkwardly in the middle of ruins. "Once I get you there I can get you out of here - but you have to get up, can you do that?"

"...yeah" He didn't have anything to lose, he was already going to bleed out in this world in the middle of a park, and it seemed she had a plan... and she was still human.

The ground shifted again as she helped him to his feet, supporting his weight on her small frame as they made their way to the tree with halting steps. She could tell already he was soon to be lost to this world and possibly the real one if she didn't get him to hers as soon as possible. By some miracle Ruvik hadn't noticed her being there yet-or maybe he had but was focused somewhere else.

Six feet...five...four... a growl sounded behind them and she looked back to see a group of Haunted heading their way, a predicament she knew they wouldn't be able to get out of.

Joseph was already white as a sheet.

"Almost there... Almost there... Almost there..." she muttered like a mantra, risking a glance which only confirmed they were running out of time. But no sooner had the haunted rushed at them than her fingers touched the branch of the willow, and the two disappeared in a light.

For Joseph, he only saw the quick change from the outdoors to the front of a cottage before he blacked out.

* * *

Ruvik felt the sudden loss of Joseph in his mind, his traps already set enough for Sebastian that he took the time to transport himself back to the park. A trace of a presence could be felt, like a memory half forgotten, a wisp remaining but he couldn't grasp it.

All he knew was that it was familiar.

The weeping willow swayed in the light breeze his mind created, and he narrowed his eyes at it.

It wasn't from him, that much was for sure, and again that niggling feeling wouldn't go away, something about it was... familiar. His fingers ran through a group of leaves, a soothing feeling washing over him like a soft lullaby, to which he only got more confused. There was nowhere in his mind that housed such a feeling, the closest being his memories with Laura - but even they were not as strong as this.

This was foreign. And when he tried to push into it, it pushed back, sending his mind reeling with a voice which he recognized but couldn't hear the words. They repeated, over and over in a refrain until the jumbled, distorted words sorted into a monologue, all meant for him.

He'd been too busy, clearly, to truly pay attention when everyone influxed in. He'd felt from the moment this whole thing had begun that there was something there...someone. A presence flittered in and out every once in a while, but it hadn't mattered then. It had only scared him when Leslie would disappear from his sight for a little while, but he'd always find him - always alone. He never knew who it was who had taken him for a little while.

The Ghost of the system.

The familiarity grew and took form, recognition stabilized in his mind as the connection suddenly flashed to where it had led before it snapped into silence and with a growl he yanked his hand away.

He needed to check on Leslie.

* * *

Joseph came to with a groan, his head throbbing as he brought a hand to his head, pressing down on his temples.

First thing he noticed was that he was missing both his glasses and his gloves. Second thing: that his surroundings smelled distinctly different than they had over the last several hours. Cinnamon spice was definitely not what he'd been smelling since he arrived, blood and overall putrefaction the usual odor of this place. It was comforting in thought, but after everything he'd gone through, it instantly put him on edge.

Pulling his hand away from his eyes he opened them,taking in his surroundings.

It was a cozy room, a room one would associate with a grandmother, trinkets of a bygone age cluttering up the mantelpiece, and glass figurines placed on the coffee table. In the middle of which he found the source of the cinnamon, a candle was lit, it's flickering something which he may have noticed more if the sun wasn't streaming through the windows. His glasses and gloves were neatly folded beside it, and he reached to grab his glasses, the comfort of normalcy coming with them returning to his face.

Where was he?

The sound of footsteps quietly entered the room, and he closed his eyes again,though not completely.

A tall blonde was fiddling with something in the windowseat, her back to him as she agitatedly muttered in a language he didn't understand. "Did you find it?" A second voice whispered as new steps entered the room, this time a petite brunette, who he recognized after a moment. The memory of her getting him out of the park finally rushed back, and he realized she must have brought him here... wherever 'here' was.

"No I didn't. If your mind would put things back where they belong we'd be much better off." The blonde said, her french accent thick as she all but slammed the seat closed- the smaller woman shushed her harshly, to which the other woman merely shrugged.

The brunette glanced at Joseph, making sure he was still sleeping before she turned back. "Look, I know you're pissed at me for being careless, but surely you understand that I couldn't just stand by this time."

"Ruvik noticed you, Nat." Darcy replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't deny that - you took someone who actually was a main player in this whole thing from his mind. He may have not cared enough about the fact that you've been doing it ever since you arrived, but he's not going to be able to ignore you this time."

"I know..." Nat replied, pushing her curls out of her eyes. "It was a risk I was willing to take, and before you say it, I'm well aware it jeopardizes my getting of Leslie. I'll work with it, don't worry, it's just one more complication."

Darcy swore in French.

"Darce, you gotta trust me-"

"Trust you to do what? You're barely holding your own shit together." Nat wrapped her sweater closer around herself. "I mean I'm mostly worried about you. You're bearing the weight of this whole mess, and now you've got more on your plate. What if he comes after you?"

Joseph closed his eyes again as Nat glanced his way, the woman sighed as he felt her presence come closer. "I don't know, Darce." she said quietly, and Joseph forced himself to relax as she pushed his vest to the side, her fingers unbuttoning the top few buttons. What was she doing?

"Is he going to be okay?" Darcy inquired.

Nat sighed again, and he flinched as she pressed down on a sensitive spot, his reaction enough to have her pull her fingers back again. "Physically, yes. Both in this world and the other, he'll be fine. I don't know about mentally though, he's gone through a lot in his own mind. It won't be easy to get over... but hopefully he'll come out in one piece. He's stronger than even he thinks, I believe."

Joseph couldn't help the doubt in his mind, her belief in his strength was misplaced. She wasn't there when he had held the gun to his temple, she hadn't seen how he'd been the weak link when Sebastian was trying to fight the monsters... she hadn't seen him nearly turn. She didn't know how much he had wanted to. Still... it was nice to know someone thought it.

"A perfectionist who wants to kill himself."

"We all have those moments, Darcy. Don't be so pessimistic."

He could feel her buttoning up his collar again, to which he was grateful. There was something distinctly uncomfortable about someone touching him without his permission. As if something was pushing that feeling, he felt the ghost of a sensation as her fingertips swept the hair off his forehead to join the rest of his hair. "Was he wearing his glasses before? I thought I took them off..." Her fingers lingered a moment, though he didn't know why and he breathed a shallow sigh of relief when she moved away, his eyes cracking open once again. This time Darcy was looking at him with a critical eye, and he contemplated finally letting them know he was awake-

"He reminds me of Miura." The blonde said. "Though I can't tell if it's just how he's acted in general, or the fact that he's Japanese."

Nat let out a short laugh. "You sound so bigoted sometimes, did you know that?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm just noting you have a type."

"I do not have a type." Nat retorted. "And I'm not giving this conversation any credence by saying more than what I've already said. I told you before: the only reason I stepped in is because he would have died in this system, which means that he would have died out there. I couldn't let him come this far just to get betrayed and shot... no one's story deserves to end that way."

Darcy laughed. "And you're all about happy endings."

A smile passed the brunette's face. "Alway-OW!" She grabbed her head, her voice rising to a new pitch. "Shit..."

"Natalie?" Darcy asked in a worried manner, grabbing her friends shoulders. "You still there?"

"Yeah..." Nat replied, breathing deeply as she lowered her hand, looking up at the blonde. "He pushed in... he definitely knows I'm here now."

A few moments passed before Joseph groaned, it was time to 'wake up'. He knew, after all, that if he had been asleep, her exclamation would have woken him. Opening his eyes fully, he took in the details of both women, Darcy's scrutinizing blue gaze in direct opposition of Natalie's tired brown one. One was already condescending, the other was concerned. "You're awake." the latter said, stepping away from the Frenchwoman with a slight sway. "Feeling alright?"

"Y-yes."Joseph answered, pushing his glasses up. "Thank you."

"That's good." Natalie replied. "I'm sure you're wondering where you are"

 _Not really._ Joseph thought, he'd put enough of the pieces together. Somehow this was still in a mental world, but it wasn't Ruvik's, this woman - Natalie, he reminded himself - had pulled him out of that world and into her own... though he didn't understand the specifics. He did know, however, that the feeling of jumping off a cliff wasn't there anymore.

Natalie took his silence for a desire for an answer, and nodding to herself, she looked over at Darcy. "Darce, why don't you go check on Sam? I'm sure she's got an update on Sebastian's location." she told her friend. Darcy looked between them before nodding, giving Joseph a smile before she left the room. Natalie pulled up a chair, sitting opposite of Joseph. "Okay, let me explain a little bit... I'm Nat. Now don't know how much you know about Ruvik, but I suppose you could call me his antithesis. For some bizarre reason, when I entered STEM, my brain waves created a separate world from Ruvik's, hence why this place is vastly different from his. I can enter his world, since that was the original purpose, and due to my own status in the system I can influence it. I've already done it a few times in yours and Castellanos' favor, it's why he's still alive... It's very complicated, but that's the gist. Any questions so far?"

It was a lot to process. Everything was too complex without adding yet another element, and it left him with quite the headache which he tried to alleviate by removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. Some parts of his deductions were now making sense, he'd watched as from time to time Sebastian would look into a mirror, seemingly spacing out for a few moments before he came back without ever explaining it. "Why did you save me?" he asked. "you haven't before have you?"

Nat shrugged. "A few times. The ambulance for one... you didn't-" she let out a short laugh. "you didn't need my help as much. I was actually impressed with how you managed on your own."

"I nearly became one of those creatures." he reminded her sharply.

"But you didn't." she countered. "You're stronger than you think, even though you were going to shoot yourself when you thought you were a burden."

Joseph looked down at his hands, reaching for his gloves and putting them on. He felt completely unsure about everything, a direct contrast to how he usually felt, his mind was always the one thing he was sure of... but he was slipping. It made him feel vulnerable - this entire situation made him feel so lost. He was losing his mind, he was sure of it, at any moment he would Crack under the pressure.

No. He wouldn't Crack. He had made it this far, he'd make it the rest of the way.

A hand on his shoulder drew him from his thoughts and he looked up to meet Nat's eyes, for the second time they were filled in worry. "You still with me?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." Joseph said, the need to assure her -or was it him- that he was alright. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah I guess so." She replied understandingly. 'Long day' was an understatement, and she knew too well how twisted Ruvik's world could make a mind. "Look, I'm going to try and get you out of here, then Sebastian when I can as well as Leslie."

"You're after him too?"

Nat sighed. "Not for the same reason I assure you. I want to get him out of here as well as everyone I can." She told him. "I'm trapped here too,you know. I didn't want to come."

"How long have you been here?" He asked at the same time, leaving them both going silent for a few moments.

"As long as you have." She answered. "We were all wirelessly brought in, again very complex and hard to expla-"

"Nat!" A woman's voice called from down the hall. "Ruvik found him we need you!"

* * *

 **Aaaand that's chapter 1. I"m a little nervous about Joseph's characterization tbh so let me know what you all think of that.**


	3. Diary Entry 1

_**Diary Entry of Natalie Jimenez - October 20th, 2005**_

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Happy 12th birthday to me! Gosh, it's so exciting! One more year and I'll be a teenager, I can't wait! Dad gave this to me because he said psychologically it will help me develop to be able to express myself... Or something like that. I didn't pay attention like I should have, Cameron got me some new books and I was too excited not to find out what they were. It was great! He got me those art books I've been wanting, and some new brushes. I'm not that good, but he thinks I am. Leave it to my brother to know what I wanted as a present. I just wish dad would do the same instead of this.  
_

 _I wish he'd tell me what's bothering him though, he looks so sad nowadays, and I can't figure out why. Dad says I should leave him alone, but Cameron has never been this distant from me. I miss my brother. Mom says it's just a phase that he'll grow out of. I hope so. He's so quiet, not at all the way I'm used to him being. Is there something about high school that I should know about that no one is telling me?  
_


End file.
